In the interest of saving space within the walls and compartments of a vehicle, certain types of vehicles have typically stored the spare tire externally. This is particularly true in the cases of trucks, recreational vehicles and motor homes. Large trucks generally have a sizeable space beneath the frame into which a tire can be comfortably stored, and into which a user can easily reach when handling the tire. Smaller trucks and motor homes do not have this space option since their bodies are closer to the ground. Therefore, storing the tire beneath the medium sized truck or motor home is done in a relatively small space.
When a user of a motor home, for example, wishes to utilize the spare tire which is stored under the truck, it is frequently necessary for the user to lie on the ground and unscrew a bolt securing the tire to the undercarriage of the vehicle. Some vehicles are equipped with a spare tire storage frame that is hinged to the vehicle at a forward end so that releasing the securing bolt will allow the frame to be lowered at the rear end. Nonetheless, it is necessary to get under the vehicle to remove the bolt and support the tire as it is lowered and raised, as well as to extract the tire from its under-vehicle location by hand.
Some motor homes and medium sized trucks have a rear bumper mounted spare tire holder, where the spare tire is more accessible than if stored beneath the vehicle. However, to remove a spare tire from such a holder, the user must lift the tire which may weigh more than 60 pounds.
An advance has been made as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,537,555 to Combs for a Wire Rope Spare Tire Carrier. This patent deals with a device for lowering the spare tire from its under-vehicle storage position by means of a lever actuated wire rope. The user must then reach in beneath the vehicle and pull the tire and the rope out to where the tire is free of the vehicle and available for use.
As is now well understood all devices known to date for tire storage and retrieval have required some form of operator work under the vehicle and a fair amount of operator strength. This mode of use may be reasonably acceptable in the case of commercial trucks where the operator is expected to occasionally get dirty and exert this sort of effort. However, a large proportion of operators of motor homes are using the vehicle for pleasure, not work. The option of accessing the spare tire by this existing method tends to make retrieving and restoring the spare tire an unpleasant and dirty experience. In addition, the possibility of injury due to the strain of lowering or lifting a spare tire or of contact with sharp or hot underbody parts, makes this retrieval potentially dangerous.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a spare tire storage device which does not require the user to work under the vehicle in order to store or retrieve the tire.
It is an additional objective of the invention to provide a spare tire storage device which enables the spare tire to be loaded and unloaded with a minimum possibility of injury or physical exertion by the user.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide a spare tire storage device which will adapt to the undercarriage of a variety of existing vehicles.
It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a spare tire storage device which will handle a variety of tire sizes.
These and additional objectives will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.